The present invention is generally directed to applying fertilizers, and more particularly to a method and device for dispensing a fertilizer, pesticide, fungicide, herbicide, insecticide, chemical, or the like material above or below a soil surface in both container-grown and field-grown plants, shrubs, trees, etc.
It is well known in the agriculture and farming industry that proper and timely application of fertilizer or other chemicals is crucial for the proper and healthy growth of the plants or crops. As a result, accurate dispensing of a fertilizer or other chemical must be carried out in a careful and effective manner to ensure proper fertilizer application to obtain healthy and properly grown plants or crops.
Although proper application of fertilizers or other chemicals is important, whether growing a seasonal crop in a large field, or a small garden in a backyard, it is particularly important in growing plants in a nursery-like setting where the plants are grown to various heights over a long period of time for future sale. In particular, the plants may be grown in containers or various size pots, open fields, or in greenhouses. These plants are grown to different heights and/or maturity for sale to different customers. For example, one particular species or variety of a plant may be grown to a short height for sale to a residential customer, and grown to a full size for sale to commercial customers. The growing of plants to different heights requires a plant grower to maintain the plants in healthy condition for a longer period before sale. Growing and maintaining these plants, whether in containers or in a field, requires constant and steady availability of the fertilizer or other chemicals in the soil for the plants to grow properly.
The conventional practice of applying a fertilizer, particularly in the nursery industry, is to carry the material in a bucket and dispense it by using a measuring spoon. This method leads to improper and precise application in that a different amount is measured and dispensed in each application. In other words, the amounts measured and applied in a repeated application are never the same. In addition, this technique is labor-intensive, time consuming, and physically very challenging for the user.
Moreover, the conventional techniques of applying a fertilizer or other chemical topically to a plant, whether in a field or in a container, leads to tremendous loss by irrigation or rainfall. Also, the applied material can be lost when the plants “blow-over” in the wind and/or due to evaporation. Plant “blow-over” and the subsequent lost of fertilizer is a tremendous problem in the nursery industry. This problem is exaggerated from an economic standpoint if the material is of time-release nature, undesirable as it tends to be more expensive and does not require frequent applications. Additionally, blown-over fertilizer can lead to soil and/or ground-water contamination.
Various prior art devices are available as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 260,373; 659,233; 677,667; 1,084,564; 1,911,692; 2,005,598; 2,065,678; 2,182,878; 2,370,744; 3,014,443; 3,170,422; 3,771,474; 3,815,526; 4,246,854; 4,614,160; 5,339,994; 5,503,090; 5,944,231; and French 2,566,227.
The conventional devices suffer from various disadvantages, such as not having a measuring or metering mechanism, having a slow or imprecise discharge, extended charging time in-between the applications, complicated in construction, etc. Therefore, there is a need in the industry for a method and device for dispensing a fertilizer, pesticide, fungicide, herbicide, insecticide, chemical or the like material which is simple in construction, easy to use, ergonomically designed, discharges material fast and in more precise amounts, and improves user efficiency.
Another disadvantage associated with conventional devices is that when the supply of the material is depleted from the device itself, or from a container carried on a user's back, the device or the container must be refilled by taking the container off the user's back or the device itself, or the device must be opened for a refilling operation. This leads to significant down time and user inefficiency. Accordingly, there is a need in the industry for a device for quickly filling or refilling a container with a material, such as a fertilizer, pesticide, fungicide, herbicide, insecticide, chemical or the like material.